On The Wave Resistance of Surface Effect Ships

Abstract

In an attempt to identify ways to reduce the peak wave resistance of surface effect ships, calculations of wave resistance are made for combinations of several singularity distributions with various parameters. Analyses are performed especially for the following components and parameters: various pressure planforms, the effect of sidewalls, the influence of sidewall camber, and the wave interference between the rectangular pressure planform with thin sidewalls and the front and rear skis. The result shows that, in general, the rectangular pressure planform is better than planforms of V-shaped bows and sterns. A gradual decrement of the sidewall displacement with the increasing Froude number is favorable, since not only the large buoyancy of sidewalls but also the low resistance helps the power reduction of SES for low-speed operations. Front and rear skis are helpful to reduce wave resistance for certain Froude numbers, although they may increase the drag for other Froude numbers. The camber of sidewall is not a good means for reducing the wave resistance of a rectangular pressure planform.